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European soccer stars don’t just have a reputation for elaborate sexual encounters and conspicuous cheating on the field.

They also have an unlikely tendency for poetic outbursts, often connected to court appearances. After Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo attended a hearing about an alleged 14.7-million-euro ($17.3 million) tax dodge in Spain on Monday, he made the latest contribution to the litigatory lyrical canon, writing on Instagram in his native Portuguese, “Insects only attack lights that shine.”

Ronaldo, who isn’t known for his modesty, added a photo of himself standing Adonis-like in the middle of a star-shaped display of light.

He’s accused of using shell companies to hide income made from image rights, but strongly denies this and insists he has paid his full taxes.

His post follows in the tradition of Manchester United center forward and French philosopher Eric Cantona, who — while appealing a jail sentence for assault — quoth, “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think that sardines will be thrown into the sea.”